"Star Trek" is cool again, thanks to J.J. Abrams' alternate timeline film reboot, part two. A young, head-strong James Kirk is eager to begin a five-year mission to explore, oh, you know. But his command of the Enterprise isn't settled, and he hasn't learned how to work with Spock, who freely second-guesses him. Soon, though, the 23rd century heroes are taking turns saving each other's life and battling complex villains, including a doozy of a terrorist played by Benedict Cumberbatch.

Abrams gets criticized for ramping up the action, and there's plenty of it. But people forget that the original 1960s "Star Trek," which was light-years ahead of other science-fiction TV series with its communicators, transporter beams and optimistic, near-utopian view of the future, also had an action-adventure format.

This year's follow-up to Abram's 2009 "Star Trek" feels less pell-mell, actually allowing time for extended conversations. And it nods frequently to the franchise's 47-year history with Trekkie tropes ("Damn it, man, I'm a doctor, not a ...", "The needs of the many outweigh ..."). Scotty is a still a miracle worker. Kirk must choose between his gut feelings and Spock's logic. The Prime Directive gets broken. Kirk chases skirts. New wrinkles include Spock and Uhura's lover's fight. The new cast, including Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto and Zoe Saldana, follows the lead of the old cast. This is not your father's "Star Trek," but that's OK. PG-13, 131 minutes. Extras: featurettes. From Paramount. Released Sept. 10.

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